National Textile Recycler Announces 2014 Diversion Rates

CHICAGO, IL (Jan. 20, 2015) — More than 54 million pounds of textiles were collected in USAgain recycling bins across the country in 2014. That’s 12,311 garbage trucks diverted from going to landfills!

The national textile recycler provides an outlet to give surplus clothing a second life through a network of thousands of recycling bins located nationwide. By diverting 54 million pounds of textiles, USAgain and its patrons prevented 378 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, saved more than 75.6 billion gallons of water, and 308,571 cubic yards of landfill space.

USAgain recycling programs are hosted in partnership with municipalities, local businesses, event based community drives and fundraisers for schools and non-profits. More than 12,500 collection bins in 19 states provide residents with a convenient option for discarding their unwanted clothing and shoes in an environmentally responsible manner.

“We want to reduce the negative impacts of clothes and shoes on our environment by increasing their reuse and recycling. The key is to make textile recycling a convenient part of everyday life,” said Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain. “Textile recycling programs are getting attention from municipalities with a goal to improve their overall waste diversion rates and we are working diligently to assist with their goal”.

Recent data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows 5.7 percent of the municipal solid waste (MSW) is textiles. A staggering 12 million tons of clothing and shoes end up in the garbage and make their way to the landfills every year.

“We are making progress but our mission is to further reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in the landfills through education and outreach events in addition to our clothing recycling bins,” Wallander said. “Every bit counts and our goal is to gain more partnerships and increase the textile recycling rate to 75 percent.”

USAgain has been proactively working with the national trade association for the clothing recycling industry — the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association to create and promote a uniform and equitable regulation for the placement and servicing of clothing collection bins across local municipalities.

USAgain continued its commitment to the environment by planting more than 200,000 trees around the globe in 2014, most in partnership with Trees for the Future, an agroforestry organization. The trees will serve to sequester carbon emissions and repair damaged ecosystems, helping to make the planet a greener, more inhabitable place.For more information, or to find a local drop box, please visit:

About USAgain
USAgain – a leader in the textile recycling industry since 1999, USAgain is a for-profit company that recycles and reuses clothing, shoes and other textiles. Its mission is to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of excess clothing, which is diverted from landfills. USAgain maintains more than 14,000 collection bins in 19 states. For more information, visit www.usagain.com.

Recycling tip of the month: GREEN Your Turkey

A Cornell study shows it takes 14 units of fossil fuel to produce a serving of turkey. If you're planning to have turkey, try to make it a little greener by purchasing it from a local market or farm. If the turkey is traveling a long distance to get to your table, that's adding to your carbon footprint. Best option -- skip the turkey!

Be Thankful!

For more tip visit the link below:
http://huff.to/1v6tLhN

Find A Drop Box

USAgain collects clothes, shoes and household textiles for reuse and recycling. For a full list items accepted in our bins, click here.

Subscribe to USAgain Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.